The primary statewide recreation planning document is the 1988-1993 Oregon State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). Winter activities addressed in the SCORP include cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snow play. The most recent version of the SCORP shows that in 1987 approximately 20% of all Oregon households participated in some form of winter recreation. The plan estimates that demand for winter recreation will increase at approximately 2.4% annually, double the rate of Oregon’s annual population growth (Oregon State Parks and Recreation Division 1988).

Approximately 9% of all winter recreation in Oregon takes place in the southwest region, which includes Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and most of Douglas County (Oregon State Parks and Recreation Division 1988). The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Division projected increases in recreation participation throughout the state from 1988 through the year 2000. In the southwest region, it is projected that snowmobile use will increase by approximately 2%, cross-country skiing by. 41%, and snow play by 38% (Eixenberger pers. comm.).